


The Newtmas Project

by GhostwithShotgun



Series: Multifandom & multiship "assigned to the same project in class" [1]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, I don't know, M/M, Maybe Fluffy, basically another "assigned to the same project" au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 22:37:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15204980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostwithShotgun/pseuds/GhostwithShotgun
Summary: Newt and Thomas get assigned to the same project in art class. They don't really know each other yet, either. Sure they're both friends with Minho, but they're part of completely different social circles. Thomas is a jock, while Newt is the silent kid in the back of the class. And it doesn't really help that Newt has had a crush on Thomas for the longest time.





	The Newtmas Project

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first part of what's going to be a series of "assigned to the same project" AUs, for different ships from different fandoms. So keep an eye out in case I post one for another pairing you ship. And feel free to suggest other ships as well (even though I already have a few planned), and I'll do them if I feel like I know the characters well enough.  
> Enjoy xx

Newt was doodling on a page of his text book. He didn't really pay attention to what Mrs. Paige was talking about. He rarely did in arts class, to be honest. He listened to what he was supposed to do, but then tuned out the rest of the instructions. It wasn't that he wasn't interested; on the contrary, he loved painting and doing other kinds of artsy stuff. He just didn't need to listen to the instructions, because most of the time he already knew how to do a certain thing, or paint/draw in a certain style. Because of this, he usually did something more useful while waiting for his teacher to let them get to work, like silently going through the events of a book he read for english class, or write down formulas for maths.  
That wasn't the case today though, as the only pressing thing was a math test he had had during the morning, and it was now afternoon. So he was just doodling his classmates as chibi characters, as he had been on a bit of a Studio Ghibli-marathon last night. He was suddenly brought back to reality when Mrs. Paige mentioned a "group project.". Newt took a look at the whiteboard, and figured that he'd been more zoned out than usual, because there was a new assignment written in green letters that hadn't been there before. They were supposed to pair up with another classmate, to make a photography portfolio, on a theme they would decide on themselves. Newt began to panic as he looked around the classroom. He wasn't friends with any of these people, as Minho had decided to drop art after two classes. How was he supposed to find a partner when he knew no one? Well... He could pair up with Thomas... No, absolutely not. He knew Thomas was a nice guy and all, but they had never actually said a single word to one another, and Newt was not about to just ask his crush if they could work on a project together when they didn't know eachother. That was out of the question.  
He must have zoned out again, because suddenly someone was standing next to him. He looked up and saw Thomas, with a slight smile on his face.

"Hey, Isaac. Do you... maybe, wanna be my partner for this? You seem kinda freaked out at the prospect of working in pairs though..." Thomas trailed off, rubbing his neck while looking at the floor. Newt didn't know what to do. On one hand, Thomas had asked him, so that meant he wasn't opposed to working with him. Right? On the other, Newt wasn't sure he was going to be able to work with Thomas without messing it all up because of his stupid crush.

"Yeah, sure." he replied before could think more about it, and inwardly cursed himself when Thomas smiled brightly. This was already going south.

"And please, call me Newt. I hate when people call me Isaac." he added, and Thomas' smile widened. He seemed thrilled that he was "allowed" to use Newt's nickname. Nevermind the fact that literally everyone called him by his nickname.

"Okay then, Newt. How about we meet at the Starbucks down on the corner after school and discuss the details?" Thomas suggested, and Newt nodded. He had no other suggestions, and he went to that Starbucks to study pretty often anyways. Thomas placed his hand on Newt's shoulder with another smile before leaving the classroom, leaving Newt to feel dumbfounded while he was trying to take the entire situation in.

************

"Dude! What's wrong with you today?" Minho hissed at him, and Newt snapped back to reality and took a look at the clock hanging on the wall. 15 minutes until his last class was over. 15 minutes until he was going to meet Tommy... no, Thomas. No nicknames just yet. Newt was getting ahead of himself.  
He turned to face Minho, who looked at him with an annoyed expression. Newt couldn't blame him though, he had been very out of it ever since art class two hours ago. He was not about to tell Minho about it through. Nope. No way. Instead he just shrugged.

"I'm not telling you, because you can't keep a secret to save your life." Newt muttered under his breath, and Minho's eyebrows shot up.

"You're keeping a secret from me? I'm both offended and intrigued, Newton." he whispered, to make sure their teacher wouldn't notice them. Mr. Janson was an incredible teacher, but he was pretty damn strict.

"You know I'm gonna force it out of you if you don't tell me, right? Unless it's an actual life or death situation and someone will die if you tell me." Minho insisted when Newt didn't reply. Newt just rolled his eyes.

"The only thing that would die if I told you is my dignity, but I'm not about to sacrifice it." Newt muttered back, praying that this conversation would be over soon. But Minho didn't seem to plan on stopping anytime soon.

"You're getting defensive. Interesting. Does it have anything to do with the project you're doing with Thomas?" Minho asked, and Newt couldn't help but tense slightly.

"It's none of your bloody business, that's what it is." he snapped back. Newt could see how Minho was physically trying not to laugh or shout or whatever. 

"So it is! Why are you so defensive about it though?" Minho asked, triumph very evident in his voice. Newt wanted to faceplant the table, but figured that'd draw Janson's attention, and he _really _didn't want that. He didn't get a chance to reply though, because Minho seemed to realize something.__

__"Is Thomas the guy you're crushing on? Oh he so is! I knew it was someone I knew since you've refused to tell me his name, but I didn't think it'd be Thomas! Do you want me to wingman you?" The excitement was very evident, both in Minho's voice and on his face. A part of Newt was really happy about it. Minho had always been supportive of him and his sexuality, but seeing that Minho wasn't weirded out at all by Newt crushing on one of his male friends was just even more confirmation of that. But a larger part of Newt was scared to death of what Minho would do if Newt let him "wingman" him._ _

__"This is exactly why I didn't wanna tell you. I don't want anyone to know, especially not Thomas." Newt sighed with his face in his hands. He then looked at Minho again._ _

__"Can you keep this to yourself? Please?" Newt practically begged, and Minho seemed to get how serious he was about this, and nodded right away._ _

__"Of course, buddy. But please try to get at least one official date out of this. Thomas is definitely into dudes, so you don't have to worry about that." Minho said, with a smile radiating kindness, almost to the point where it was scary. Minho didn't do kind and caring, he only did sass and support. Newt decided to drop the subject completely and turned back to his book, and was pleasantly surprised when Minho did the same._ _

__************_ _

__Janson announced that the time was up, and Newt immediately stood up to leave. He stopped by his locker to get his stuff, and Minho walked past him with a quiet "go get 'em, tiger." and Newt started to question wether this was a good decision. Who was he kidding? It definitely wasn't, but he couldn't really ditch Thomas now, could he? No, he just had to suck it up and deal with his awful decision.  
He closed his locker with a sigh and made his way out of the school. The Starbucks was only about two minutes away by foot, and Newt hoped he wasn't making Thomas wait for him. And he didn't. He could see the coffee shop when he heard running and someone shouting his name behind him. He turned around and saw Thomas slowing down to a jog, his face flushed. Newt stopped and waited for him. Thomas smiled when he stopped right next to Newt, and he didn't say anything at first, trying to catch his breath. Newt wondered how fast he had been running, because Thomas was one of the school's top athletes, alongside Minho, and the short distance to the Starbucks from school shouldn't be a problem for him._ _

__"Sorry, our trainer kept us for a bit longer, and I thought I'd be late." Thomas explained once he could talk again, and Newt shook his head with a smile._ _

__"I could have waited for a few minutes, ya know." he said, and Thomas laughed (and Newt totally didn't swoon. Nope.)._ _

__"Would've been rude to keep you waiting. Now let's go, we have a lot to do." he said, and grabbed Newt to drag him along. Normally, Newt would have protested, but he knew Thomas was quite touchy-feely from seeing him interact with Minho, and Newt just didn't have the strength it took to tell his crush to stop touching him. He considered himself a relatively strong person, but there was a limit, and this was his limit. So he just tried to keep up while Thomas walked in a fast pace, never letting go of Newt. They stepped inside, and Newt found that it was surprisingly empty. Just a couple of people at some of the tables._ _

__"Why don't you find us a seat, and I'll get us something to drink. What do you want?" Thomas asked, and Newt was slightly taken back. He hadn't thought that far ahead yet._ _

__"A latte?" he said, although it sounded more like a question. Thomas nodded._ _

__"A latte it is. I'll find you." he replied, and it was Newt's turn to nod as he started to look for a table where they could sit. He spotted a table for two by one of the windows, and made a beeline for it. He always preferred to sit by windows if he had the possibility. He sat down on the chair and dropped his bag on the floor next to him, taking out a notebook and a pencil to write down their ideas and what they decide on. He had barely set it up when Thomas showed up and set Newt's drink down by the open notebook. He sat down across from Newt, and suddenly looked nervous._ _

__"So, um... I don't know if you've noticed, But I'm definitely not the best in arts class, but I know you've got a very good grade and all, so I'm sorry if I ruin it for you." Thomas mumbled, and took a sip of his coffee while looking out the window. Newt chuckled a bit, because there was no way a group project would ruin his grade. Rather, he could probably help Thomas get a better grade._ _

__"It's fine, Thomas. I don't think this is gonna affect my grades either way. But it might help you out if we do a good job. Do you take any photos in your spare time?" Newt asked, because he figured it'd be best if they established on what level both of them were. Thomas shook his head._ _

__"Only the occasional picture for my instagram." he said, and Newt nodded. He honestly hadn't expected anything else._ _

__"Would you mind showing me? And you can scroll through my insta if you want to. We gotta get inspiration from somewhere, eh?" he asked, and Thomas nodded and pulled his phone out. Newt did the same, and opened instagram, and then they switched phones. Newt was fairly engaged in his instagram, and posted mainly pretty pictures, that he edited in another app to make them as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Thomas, on the other hand, seemed to be the type of person who just took a picture of whatever was in front of him, and posted without editing. And there weren't a lot of pictures either. He looked up to see Thomas carefully studying his phone, before looking up and returning it to Newt. They put their phones away, and Thomas continued their conversation._ _

__"Well, you're gonna be the boss in this project. Just tell me what to do." he said with a laugh, and Newt shook his head._ _

__"Nah, this is a project we're doing together. But if it makes you feel better I can be the one to take the photos, or most of the photos, and edit." he said with a half smile, and Thomas nodded in agreement._ _

__"Fair enough. What theme are we going with?" he asked, and Newt shrugged._ _

__"You decide. But if we want to get a really good grade on this, we should do something that Mrs. Paige would like, and not anything that the rest of hours classmates will do." he suggested, and he could see Thomas' brain work._ _

__"True. But what does she like? I assume you have an idea, since you're doing so well in her class." Thomas said it as a statement, but cocked his head slightly to the side as if to show that it was more of a question. Newt thought for a while, because he hadn't thought about it like that. He just made things he liked for class. But now that Thomas pointed it out, Newt could almost assume that what he liked also suited Paige's personal taste. Because it doesn't matter how hard you try to stay neutral, you are going to like things that suits your taste better than things that don't._ _

__"I haven't really thought about it like that, I just make things I wanna make. But I would say, going by what I usually make, that she likes details, different perspectives, and things that have a deeper meaning. So we could do architecture, street photography, nature but with a focus on close-ups, play around with perspectives, or something that relates to social justice. Or something else. Do you have any interests you think could work?" Newt asked, because he wanted Thomas to make this decision. Newt had a feeling Thomas would turn to him to make a lot of the decisions during the project, so he wanted Thomas to choose the theme. Thomas went silent as he thought about it, and then looked at Newt with a slight smile._ _

__"How about human rights? We should be able to get quite a few different photos out of that, right?" Thomas suggested, and Newt nodded. They could definitely work with that. Thomas smiled, and they went on to discuss how many pictures they should include, and how many "issues" they should try to include in those pictures. The conversation was flowing really easily, and Newt was almost surprised at the fact that he didn't fuck up. The only problem with that was that it didn't exactly make him crush on Thomas less. They were discussing wether they should use people or inanimate objects/texts, or both, in their pictures when they heard someone come inside, and when Newt looked up he prayed to God that he was hallucinating.  
Because the people who had arrived were Minho and his girlfriend Brenda, and Newt _knew _that Minho was here just to spy at Newt and Thomas. Newt could just barely contain the sigh that almost escaped him. To his surprise, Minho just simply greeted both of them, before sitting down with Brenda quite a few tables away. But Newt knew he would have to deal with Minho later.___ _

____************_ _ _ _

____An hour later Newt and Thomas both stood up to leave. Newt had written down everything they had decided on, and they were going out into the city tomorrow to start taking some photos, and both of them were free during the afternoon. Once outside they turned to say goodbye to one another because they were going in different directions._ _ _ _

____"Well, thank you for agreeing to do this project with me, Newt. I'll see you tomorrow." Thomas said with a grin, and Newt smiled back._ _ _ _

____"No need to thank me, Tommy. See you." Newt replied, and had already turned around when he realized that he had used the nickname, and froze completely. he turned back around to apologize, but Thomas was already walking away. Newt just hoped he hadn't freaked him out or made him uncomfortable.  
Newt actually got all the way back home before Minho texted him._ _ _ _

_____Tell me everything!! ____ _ _ _

_______There's not much to tell tho? ____ _ _ _ _ _

_________Give me something! ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Fine. We discussed our project, and he decided we should go for the theme of human rights, and we decided what issues to bring up in how many pictures, and that's it. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________I'm disappointed in you, Newtie. You gotta make a move! ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________We decided to bring up the LGBTQ community in one or two pictures, so that's something. I also called him 'Tommy' but idk if there's anything else ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________Ooooooh, nicknames! When are you guys meeting up again? ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Bloody hell, Min! Tomorrow, but I won't tell you where ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________After sending the final text, Newt threw his phone on the bed and sat down by his desk. He just wanted to distract himself and not think about today, or tomorrow for that matter. He needed to not overthink the situation. So he spent the rest of the night alternating between drawing and watching movies. When he went to bed he took a look at his phone, and saw that Minho had sent him a text about how the picture for LGBTQ rights should be one of him and Thomas kissing, but Newt decided that he'd be better off ignoring that text, so he did._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________The following day Newt was more nervous than he had been in a long time, despite the fact that he knew he had absolutely no reason to be. He knew that Thomas was a nice guy, and Newt didn't feel awkward or anything around him. They were just meeting up for an assignment, and that's that. But he still chose his outfit more carefully than he usually did (not too fancy though, as he was going to be at school until lunch). And while he was in school, his leg was bouncing constantly. It got to the point where Minho actually sat on his lap to stop him from bouncing his leg.  
The day went by faster than he would have liked, but still too slow, and soon it was 1pm, and he grabbed his bag to go outside to meet Thomas. Thomas didn't have a camera, so they were using Newt's, and they had decided that if one of them needed to pose for a picture, that'd be Thomas. Newt was pretty happy with that arrangement. When he got outside, he noticed that Thomas was already waiting, and jogged the rest of the way over. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Sorry, have you waited for long?" he asked when he got closer, and Thomas greeted him with a smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Not at all, just got here. You ready?" he asked, and when Newt nodded they started walking towards one of the busier parts of the city. Their conversation on their way there flowed easily, and Newt immediately forgot how nervous he had been. While they walked Newt spotted a homeless man sitting outside of a store, asking people passing by for money, and he got an idea._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Hey, Thomas. How about we ask that man if we can take photos while giving him money? I've got a couple of dollars on me." he suggested, and Thomas nodded eagerly, and then frowned._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Please keep calling me 'Tommy', it's nice to have a nickname and hearing you say "Thomas" now just sounds weird." he said, and Newt couldn't help the smile on his face. Tommy hadn't been creeped out by the nickname._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Alright, Tommy. Now let's go talk to that man." Newt said, and took the lead, much to his own surprise. He greeted the man, and explained that they were working on a photography assignment, and wanted to bring attention to human rights, and wanted to take pictures while giving him money. The man looked suspicious at first, and Newt expected him to say no, but then the man nodded and Newt pulled his camera out, and while Thomas gave the man the few dollars they could spare, Newt managed to get a close up of their hands, a picture of both the man and Tommy, and then just a picture of the man. Once he was done, they both thanked the man and moved on._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about anything, while looking for things they could take photos of. Whenever they photographed an object or a sign, Newt would let Thomas take the camera, and instruct him on how to take the best possible photos. It was fun. Newt was definitely enjoying himself, and it seemed Thomas was as well. They ended the day by getting coffees together, and then returned back home._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________The week practically flew by, with Newt meeting Thomas every day after school. They were getting closer by the day, and Newt couldn't say he didn't enjoy it. But at the same time he was terrified that Tommy would find out about his crush on him, and find it creepy and never want to see him again. They were going to spend all of Saturday getting the final pictures (they still hadn't gotten any good ones for the LGBTQ community, or children's safety), and then Newt would spend Sunday editing the pictures, and then they could turn it in on Monday. That was the plan. It was currently right before noon on Saturday, and they had just gotten a picture of a child posing with her older sister that turned out to be exactly what they wanted. Now they just had the LGBTQ picture left. Newt was feeling kind of nervous, as this was the picture that meant the most to him personally and he really wanted to get a good one. They stopped by Subway for lunch, and discussed what options they had. Their conversation got interrupted by someone placing a hand on Newt's shoulder though._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"If it isn't my new favorite couple. How's the project going?" Minho asked as he sat down next to them. Newt started to panic even more, if that was possible. Minho wasn't exactly being discreet. Tommy didn't seem to mind though._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Well, we're kinda stuck on the LGBTQ photo. It wasn't as easy to get a good one as we thought." Thomas said while taking a bite. Newt already knew what Minho was going to say, and while he was absolutely horrified he couldn't seem to bring himself to tell Minho to shut up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Well, I did suggest that you could have someone take a picture of the both of you kissing, but it seems Newtie didn't like that option." Minho said, and Newt wanted to die right there and then. Thomas tuned to look at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"I thought you were gay? That's what everyone at school seems to think at least." Thomas said, and if he wasn't so embarrassed, Newt would lecture him about how the fact that he's gay doesn't mean that he wants to kiss every guy he meets._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"I am, but..."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"You just don't want to kiss me? That's cool, I get it." Thomas said with a shrug, although Newt thought he saw something flash in his eyes. And somehow Newt couldn't bring himself to lie._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"It's not that either, anyone would be lucky to kiss you, it's just..." Newt trailed off, but he had already said too much. He could see the smirk Minho was trying to fight off out of the corner of his eye, and he was about to leave when Thomas put a hand on his arm to keep him there._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Minho, could you take the picture?" he asked, and Newt completely froze. He had no idea what was happening anymore, and he felt like his heart was about to stop beating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"I'd be honored." Minho said, smirk in full force when he grabbed the camera. Newt still didn't get what was happening and stayed frozen. It was as if his brain had stopped processing all information. Then he was suddenly yanked forward, across the table, and he felt Tommy's lips press onto his own. At first he went rigid out of shock, but after a second or two he let himself relax and kiss Thomas back. He heard the camera in the background the entire time, but he didn't pay much attention to it. All he could focus on was the feeling of Thomas' lips against his own.  
After a couple of seconds they broke apart. Thomas smiled reassuringly at Newt, as if to say that there was nothing wrong about his crush, and Newt figured he had a goofy grin plastered onto his face. Minho whistled at them while handing the camera back to Newt. Thomas moved around the table to stand behind Newt while they looked at the photos. They actually turned out pretty great, and would work perfectly with their other photos as soon as Newt had edited them a bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Looks good. Seems like we're done for today. I'll drop by your place tomorrow so we can have our first official date." Thomas said, and Newt was about to protest until he saw Thomas' smile, and the mischievous look in his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"No worries, we'll have a "Tommy-coming-over-just-to-watch-Newt-editing-date. See you tomorrow." Tommy said, and then walked off before Newt could even reply, being completely stunned. Minho just laughed and turned to Newt._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"You owe me one, buddy."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
